![]() And believe me, I've read every one of them, because I'm a gear freak. I'm sick of reading the same review for each ski. Note to ski manufacturers: I know you want to maximize your sales, but just freaking tell us what the ski does well. as well as tell you that the ski does well in powder and on crud, and goes fast while having a short turning radius. The typical ski advertisement will tell you that the ski is flexible but rigid. Now that you know the difference, good friggin luck finding the "ideal" ski. Thus, the rigidity of the ski is the primary difference. Therefore, a telemark ski must flex to get the full length of the edge onto the snow with much less pressure. In contrast, proper telemark form has the skier place weight evenly on both skis while turning. Alpine style turning involves putting most of your body weight on the downhill ski as you turn, with only a small fraction of your weight on the uphill ski. The difference in the skis originates in the mechanics of a turn with each skiing style. Therefore, the camber is usually the same for both. These have a higher camber (referred to as double camber) which reduces friction on the non-weighted ski, and allows for faster and more efficient travel.īoth telemark and alpine touring skis are designed try to get the best of both alpine and nordic worlds, and so they are both designed with camber so that they can travel easily on rolling terrain, as well as hold an edge on downhills. On the other end of the spectrum are nordic skis, which are designed primarily for touring over long distances on flat or rolling terrain. Downhill skis have minimal camber so that they can easily hold an edge on packed powder. Camber is the bow in the ski that causes the middle to rise off the snow when no weight is applied. What, if any, difference is there in a ski designed for alpine touring versus one designed for telemark skiing?įirst, we start with the knowledge that most skis are cambered, even those solely designed for downhill resort skiing. Additionally, the binding is also similar to the resort style bindings, but they will allow for the heel to be released to ski on flats, rolling terrain, or uphill. This leads to necessary adjustments on crampons, endless teasing by alpine skiers, and other inane stuff that Gered is more qualified to comment upon.Īs for alpine touring, the boot is essentially a light version of the boot you use to go resort skiing. The telemark boot has a longer front edge, often called a duck bill. The telemark binding locks down the front of your foot, and has an adjustable cable on the back that is loosened for rolling terrain, and tightened to keep your heel down for descents. The primary differences between telemark and alpine touring (or randonee) skiing are in the binding and boots. You may end up doing a lot of digging to determine whether a ski is "ideal" for a particular type of endeavor. ![]() Furthermore you begin to notice the downright contradictions in most ski reviews. Before I reveal this mystery, let me be clear that manufacturers don't always clearly label when a ski has been manufactured for telemark or alpine touring performance. This is one of those situations where more knowledge equals more complication. ![]() ![]() Aren't you just sick and tired of hearing this question from your friends and family members and not having a decent answer? Well today is your lucky day. ![]()
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